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Energy & Environment

Geothermal Energy in Turkey 0(0) 1–17
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Fatma Canka Kilic DOI: 10.1177/0958305X15627544
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Abstract
Turkey is rich in geothermal energy resources. It ranks seventh in the world for this type of
energy resource and among the top five for geothermal heat and thermal spring applications
(electricity generation, heating and cooling homes and greenhouses, drying, thermal tourism,
balneological use, mineral extraction, agricultural and aquaculture applications, etc.). Interest in
this energy field is rising due to government support for renewables. An overview of geothermal
energy in Turkey is presented and its potential is evaluated. The study aims to contribute to the
future developments of this energy technology in Turkey, with some barriers also considered.

Keywords
Geothermal energy, Turkey, renewable energies, energy policies, incentives in industry

Introduction
Geothermal energy is a thermal energy, which comes from reservoirs of steam and hot water
beneath the surface of the Earth. It plays an important role in the transition from fossil fuels
to more sustainable fuels as a clean renewable resource.1 Diminishing use of coal, oil and gas
makes possible to reduce the emissions of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere and, con-
sequently, help fight against global warming and environmental pollution.2 Geothermal
energy is one of the most efficient and environmentally friendly types of renewable energy
to generate electricity, and it is also used for a variety of industrial and domestic applica-
tions, such as heating, refrigerating, drying (industrial and farm products), biogas processes,
biofuels production, water desalination, soft drink carbonation, farming, irrigation, pasteur-
ization, soil sterilization, aquaculture, snow melting and de-icing, bathing.3,4
Turkey is considered as a developing country, the energy demand grows at rates of 4.5%
to 7% per year and almost 75% of energy demand is met by imported fuels. Energy depend-
ency on imported resources has become an important concern for the country.5
Turkey is geographically located in the Alpine-Himalayan belt. The geothermal potential
of the country is estimated as 31,500 MWt, around 77.9% of this potential is in Western

Department of Electrical and Energy Technologies, Kocaeli Vocational School, Kocaeli University, Turkey
Corresponding author:
Fatma Canka Kilic, Department of Electrical and Energy Technologies, Kocaeli Vocational School, Kocaeli University,
Mahmutpasa Cad. Mahmutpasa Mah., No. 151, 41140 Kullar, Basiskele, Kocaeli, Turkey.
Email: fatmacanka@hotmail.com
2 Energy & Environment 0(0)

Anatolia. In today’s numbers, 13% of Turkey’s geothermal energy potential (approximately

4000 MW) has been made available by General Directorate of Mineral Research and
Exploration (MTA), which under the management of Ministry of Energy and Natural
Resources. In Turkey, 55% of the total geothermal areas are suitable for heating
applications.6,7
There are many studies conducted in literature to determine Turkey’s geothermal poten-
tials, some topics include the current situation in geothermal power production and direct
use applications of geothermal energy, the evaluation of the future of geothermal energy,
geothermal energy policies in Turkey.5,8–22 These studies have examined different aspects of
geothermal energy in Turkey to contribute to the geothermal energy developments in the
country.
Even though Turkey is wealthy in geothermal energy resource potential, these resources
are not yet employed adequately in terms of energy generation. Geothermal energy remains
as a small contributor to the power generation capacity in Turkey. The installed power
generation capacity of geothermal plants is 0.3% in the total installed capacity of power
generation and they account for just 0.5% of the total electricity production.5 Therefore,
Turkey needs to include geothermal resources in its energy supply portfolio momentously.
In this study, an overview of Turkey’s geothermal energy potentials, productions, polices
and the importance of geothermal energy for the country have been investigated and pre-
sented with the latest figures. In this way, it has been aimed to contribute to the future
development of Turkey’s geothermal energy policies and raise awareness within the related
sectors about the topic with presented conclusions and recommendations.

Summary of Turkey’s energy outlook, polices and targets

As of 2012, the primary energy demand and the installed electricity generating capacity of
Turkey have reached to value of 120.1 million tons of oil equivalent (Mtoe) and 57 GWe,
respectively.5 The share of natural gas was 31%, coal was 30%, oil was 26%, hydropower
was 4%, other renewable energy sources were 3% and other sources were 6% in this total.
Also, the distribution of primary energy consumption by sectors in Turkey can be seen in
Table 1.7
Some of the main targets of Turkey’s energy policies to ensure security of energy supply
can be explained as follows:
. To evaluate Turkey’s best known lignite and hard coal resources for the production of
electrical energy by 2023,
. To commission two nuclear power plants and start the construction of a new nuclear
power plant by 2023,

Table 1. The primary energy consumption in Turkey.7

Industry 25%
Housing and Services 26%
Transportation 17%
Conversion Industry 26%
Other 6%
Canka Kilic 3

. The share of electricity generation from renewable energy sources will be increased to
30%, by the year 2023,
. The technical and economic potential of hydropower is to be evaluated and used for
electricity generation to a maximum extent by 2023,
. The wind power installed capacity is to be increased to 20,000 MW by 2023,
. The geothermal power installed capacity is to be increased to 1000 MW for the purpose of
electricity generation by 2023.
Also, Turkey’s installed capacity of electric energy and the total electrical energy produc-
tions are targeted to be increased over 110 thousand MW and 416 billion kWh respectively,
by 2023.
By the end of 2019, total installed capacity of renewable electricity generation plants is
targeted to be increased to the amount of 46,400 MW.
The distribution of electrical energy generation by primary energy sources in Turkey is
given in Table 2.

Brief overview of renewable energy outlook in Turkey

Due to its geographical location, Turkey is fortunate in having many renewable energy
resources. With the correct evaluation of this advantage, it is possible to produce green
energy, protect environment and provide new employment areas.
Turkey’s total installed capacity of renewable energy was 12,305 MW in 2002; this value
has reached the amount of 27,585 MW in September 2014. The electricity generation from
renewable sources was 34 billion kWh in 2002, with an increase of 104%, this number
reached to 69.5 billion kWh in 2013.
The installed capacity of new commissioning power plants that based on renewable
energy sources has been around 2002 MW for the first nine months of 2014. The power
plants that created this value can be listed as follows:
. 724.3 MW of wind,
. 1166 MW of hydro power,
. 47.6 MW of geothermal,
. 64.1 MW of landfill gas, biomass, waste heat, waste oil and solar sourced electricity gen-
eration power plants. In Turkey, 11,170 MW capacity of power plants have been put in
service in 2013 and 2014 and 50% of this value has come from renewable sources.
Turkey aims to diversity its energy supply routes to increase security of energy supply.
Also, to ensure diversification of the sources, the country gives priority to domestic and

Table 2. Distribution of electrical energy generation by primary

energy sources in Turkey (September 2014).7

Coal 29%
Natural gas 47.8%
Hydraulic 17.2%
Wind 3.1%
Other 2.9%
4 Energy & Environment 0(0)

renewable energy sources. To meet the increasing energy demand, the country executes
crucial projects and studies. The main features of these studies can be described as follows:
1. Increase the share of renewable energy in the country’s energy mix,
2. Enhance the energy investments and trade environments for the energy businesses,
3. Develop the energy technologies, which is an essential matter in order to ensure the
sustainability of energy sector,
4. Assess Turkey’s natural resources correctly to promote economic growth of the
country,
5. Take significant steps to increase energy efficiency in the whole chain of residential,
commercial and industrial sectors,
6. Provide interconnection to the neighboring countries to assure the uninterrupted,
qualified and adequate energy supply,
7. Integrate the nuclear energy into the whole system,
8. Reduce Turkey’s dependence on foreign energy supply and decrease the energy costs in
the country’s economy.7

Geothermal energy in Turkey

Turkey’s geothermal resources, geothermal aspects and general status of
geothermal energy
Turkey forecasts 6% to 8% yearly growth in energy demand until 2020 and anticipates
adding 50,000 MW to the grid. Considered to be one of the ‘‘hottest’’ markets in Europe
for geothermal, Turkey is the seventh most promising country in the world in terms
of geothermal energy potential. Within Europe, Italy is the market leader with over 50%
of the European capacity. Turkey and Iceland are currently centers of geothermal explor-
ation and development in Europe and Germany is considered a new, but an important factor
in the market.23
Turkey has drilled around 1200 geothermal wells for geothermal electricity production
and direct use applications in these geothermal sites since 1960. About one-third of these
well-bores have been drilled since 2009. As of 2013, 59 new geothermal projects have been
completed or they are currently under construction in Turkey.24
Tectonically, Turkey is in a very active region. The western part of Turkey is an area of
plentiful geothermal activity that undergoing significant exploration and exploitation, but
with relatively little volcanism.8 Major neotectonic structures and provinces of Turkey can
be seen in Figure 1.10
With the new additions, there are more than 290 geothermal sites discovered in Turkey
and approximately 95% of them are low-to-medium enthalpy sites mostly proper for direct
use applications. Even though geothermal energy potential of Turkey was theoretically
estimated as 31,500 MWt and recently increased to 60,000 MWt, the proved potential by
drilling activities (4209 MWt) and natural discharges (600 MWt) is only 4809 MWt. As of
today, 58% of the proved capacity (2705 MWt) is used for geothermal heating, consisting of
residence heating (805 MWt), greenhouse heating (612 MWt), thermal facilities heating
(380 MWt), balneological use (870 MWt) and heat pump implementations (38 MWt).5,9
The most significant change in the activities took place in the exploration of geothermal
resources for electricity production. Present installed capacity is 162.2 MWe and it is
Canka Kilic 5

Figure 1. Major neotectonic structures and provinces of Turkey.10

expected to become above 397 MWe by the end of 2015.7 Expanding new research activities
of geothermal development especially in the last three years resulted in a geothermal flourish
in Turkey. The addition of new sites and updating the data of existing ones raised the
presently determined capacity notably. With the new discoveries of 13 geothermal sites,
geothermal power potential increased by 1.6 times.5 Turkey’s main geothermal resources
and geothermal energy applications can be seen in Figure 2.8
In Turkey, all the legal procedure management and responsibilities on geothermal
resources and natural mineral waters belong to the Ministry of Energy and Natural
Resources (MENR), the MTA, the General Directorate of Mining Affairs (MIGEM) and
the Special Provincial Administrations.25
Geothermal resources are evaluated to serve a variety of purposes, depending on its
temperature. Geothermal electricity generation needs high temperatures such as 150 C
and over (up to 220 C) for dry steam technology, 180 C for flash steam technology and
57 C for binary cycle technology. The direct use applications of geothermal energy (tem-
peratures range between 25 C and 150 C) can be listed as (mainly used in industry and
buildings) follows: heating and/or cooling homes, businesses, spaces and greenhouses, health
care and treatment applications, thermal tourism applications (hot springs, spas, balneo-
logical uses of geothermal water, etc.), fish farming (heating water), aquaculture produc-
tions, farming (crops, fruit, vegetable raising and drying), mushroom production, etc. Also,
other fields of geothermal applications in the industry are (temperature ranges between
100 C and 250 C) process heat supply, drying, chemical and mineral productions (carbon
dioxide, fertilizer, lithium, heavy water, hydrogen, and mineral water, etc.) and geothermal
heat pump applications (in buildings), refrigeration in industry.26
6 Energy & Environment 0(0)

Figure 2. Turkey’s main geothermal resources, volcanic areas and geothermal energy applications.8

Figure 3. Growth of installed direct use and power capacities in Turkey.5

In Figure 3, flourish in geothermal energy development is shown in terms of direct use and
power capacities.
Due to the privatization moves in the recent years, the growth of the installed direct use
and installed power capacity has been striking: 160% and over 800%, respectively.
Canka Kilic 7

According to MTA and private knowledge records, nearly 110 geothermal sites exist in
Turkey with surface temperatures ranging from 22.5 C to 220 C. Most of these sites are
mainly located at the Western Anatolia, the Northern Anatolian fault zone and Central and
Eastern Anatolian volcanic regions. The surface temperatures in 80 of these geothermal sites
are above 60 C, in 13 of them are above 100 C and 8 of them are above 140 C.8 This
capacity is given in terms of maximum flow rate and the weighted flow rate temperatures.
Total identified geothermal apparent capacity is about 4800 MWt (based on a reference
temperature of 15 C) and 4500 MWt (based on a reference temperature of 20 C).
According to some analysis, almost 75% of these sites’ current apparent capacities are
lower than 5 MWt. An overall of 55 potential geothermal sites are appraised using volumetric
reserve estimation method employing existing geological, geochemical and geophysical data;
17 geothermal sites with high temperatures (over 100 C) are suitable for electric power
generation and the rest 38 are suitable for non-electric usages.
With regard to a regional examination of geothermal resources, there are about 1000 hot
water and mineral water springs sites in Turkey. The temperature values of 170 of them are
above 40 C. Eleven of them are considered the most suitable ones for the energy production.
These locations and their source temperatures can be listed as follows: Aydin-Germencik
(232 C), Manisa, Salihli, Gobekli (182 C), The Dardanelles-Tuzla (174 C), Aydin Salavatli
(171 C), Kutahya Simav (162 C), Izmir Seferihisar (153 C), Manisa-Salihli Caferbey
(150 C), Aydin-Yilmazkoy (142 C), Izmir Balcova (136 C) and Izmir-Dikili (130 C).26
The potential of geothermal electricity generation and source temperatures of geothermal
regions in Turkey can be seen in Table 3.
The major geothermal sites and their operation status in Turkey can be examined in
Table 4.26
Also, Figure 4 shows the distribution of locations with geothermal resources suitable for
electricity generation and current power plants in Turkey.27

Table 3. The potential of geothermal electricity generation and source temperatures

of geothermal regions in Turkey.26

Potential of electric
Geothermal region Temperature ( C) energy generation (MW)

Denizli Kizildere 200–242 80

Aydin-Germencik 200–232 130
Manisa-Alasehir-Kavaklıdere 213 15
Manisa-Salihli-Gobekli 182 15
Canakkale-Tuzla 174 80
Aydin-Salavatlı 171 65
Kutahya-Simav 162 35
Izmir-Seferihisar 153 35
Manisa-Salihli-Caferbey 150 20
Aydin-Sultanhisar 145 20
Aydin-Yilmazkoy 142 20
Izmir-Balcova 136 5
Izmir-Dikili 130 30
Total 550
8 Energy & Environment 0(0)

Table 4. The major geothermal sites and their operation status in Turkey.26

Installed Temperature
Geothermal site power ( C) Operating status Licensee company

Denizli-Kizildere 15 MWe 242 Running Zorlu Enerji A.S.

Aydin-Sultanhisar 7.95 MWe 162 Running Menderes Jeotermal Elektrik
(Dora-1) Uretim A.S.
Aydin-Sultanhisar 9.5 MWe 162 Under Menderes Jeotermal Elektrik
(Dora-2) Construction Uretim A.S. is the licensee.
Aydin-Germencik 47.4 MWe 232 Running Gurmat Elektrik Uretim A.S.
is the licensee.
Canakkale-Tuzla 7.5 MWe 174 Under Tuzla Uretim A.S. is
Construction the licensee.
Denizli-Kizildere 6.85 MWe 140 Running Bereket Jeotermal Enerji
(Kizildere Jeotermal Uretim A.S.
The site waste water)

Figure 4. Distribution of locations with geothermal resources suitable for electricity generation and cur-
rent power plants in Turkey.27
Canka Kilic 9

There are 19 different residential areas that use central heating (the equivalent of 889,563
houses, 806 MWt). Also, greenhouses applications can be seen in 19 locations (the equivalent
of 3.130 million m2, 543 MWt). In Turkey, 350 geothermal facilities are in business for the
purpose of health care and treatment activities (therapeutic uses), presently.7
Geothermal exploration has been continuing seriously for the last 10 years, and the
drilling footages have reached 73,247 m in 2012. In addition to this, in 2013, 66,500 m of
drilling has been targeted and as of September 2013, 88,671 m of drilling has been carried
out. With increases in the MTA investment budget, new pneumatic drilling machines bought
in 2009, 3 of them are for geothermal exploration (deep geothermal drilling equipment
1500 m and 2500 m depth) and 15 of them are for the mineral exploration (drilling down
to 750–1500 m depth). In 2012, another pneumatic drilling machine has been bought with a
search mechanism of 750 m depth. In 2013, new machines have been bought, including the
core drilling machine with a capacity of 2000 m drilling depth. Thus, the drilling machine
park has been renewed for the explorations and geophysical surveys have been revived and
made more applicable in the country.

Geothermal legislation in Turkey and Turkey’s geothermal energy usage

in the energy supply
Turkey is carrying out extensive studies to increase the share of renewable energy sources in
energy supply in sectors and reorganize the legal infrastructure. Energy generation facilities
based on renewable energy sources have been provided for the incentives, on the basis of the
new Law (No: 6094). The Renewable Energy Law intents to encourage energy production
from renewable energies with supporting mechanisms.28 The legislative framework arranges
the prices for the sale of electricity to the state depending on the generation method.
According to the law, renewable energy plants will be subject to prices from 7.3 USD
cents to 13.3 USD cents per kWh. A hydroelectric power plant will be able to sell electricity
at a cost of 7.3 USD cents, the same as the amount for a wind farm. The geothermal energy
suppliers can sell their electric energy at a higher price of 10.5 USD cents. Companies that
use biomass (including landfill gas) and solar power are subsidized the most at a rate of 13.3
USD cents/kWh. The law also assures additional support for companies with executes that
use locally produced equipment and components (from 0.4 USD cents to 3.5 USD cents).28
Renewable energy incentives in Turkey can be examined in Table 5.
While geothermal power installed capacity was only 17.5 MW in 2002, today this value
has reached approximately 397 MW in Turkey. It is a promising increase, but Turkey aims to

Table 5. Renewable energy incentives in Turkey (according to Law No: 6094).28

The plant type of the generation of energy The prices that will be
from renewable resources applied (USD cent/kWh)

A hydroelectric power plant 7.3

A wind power plant (A wind farm) 7.3
A Geothermal energy plant 10.5
A biomass supplier (including landfill gas) 13.3
A solar energy plant 13.3
10 Energy & Environment 0(0)

Table 6. Installed capacity (MW) of electric power in Turkey.29

Years Thermal Hydraulic Geothermal + Wind Total Increase (%)

2002 19,568.5 12,240.9 36.4 31,845.8 12.4

2003 22,974.4 12,578.7 33.9 35,587.0 11.7
2004 24,144.7 12,645.4 33.9 36,824.0 3.5
2005 25,902.3 12,906.1 35.1 38,843.5 5.5
2006 27,420.2 13,062.7 81.9 40,564.8 4.4
2007 27,271.6 13,394.9 169.2 40,835.7 0.7
2008 27,595.0 13,828.7 393.5 41,817.2 2.4
2009 29,339.1 14,553.3 868.8 44,761.2 7.0
2010 32,278.5 15,831.2 1414.4 49,524.1 10.6
2011 33,931.1 17,137.1 1842.9 52,911.1 6.8
At the end of 34,223.2 17,699.5 2019.9 53,942.6 –
April 2012

increase geothermal power generation capacity in the coming years.7 Table 6 shows the
installed capacity of electric power in Turkey.29
Owing to the incentive law and the privatization of the geothermal market, different
investors have entered in geothermal electricity production business and massive drilling
activities have been continuing in the most attractive geothermal areas in the country.
The following projects are presently being executed:
* Kizildere, the single-flash power plant was installed in 1984 with a capacity of 20 MWe,
and it has been empowered with a binary unit of 8 MWe in 2008. Its energy production
was around 93 GWhe (Figure 5),
* Germencik, where a big flash unit of 47.4 MWe commenced its operation in 2009 with a
production of 360 GWhe,
* Dora, where two binary units of 16 MWe in total with a production of 37 GWhe,
* Tuzla, where an another binary unit of 8 MWe,
* The three new large binary complexes, named as Irem, Sinem and Deniz put into service
in 2012 with a total capacity of 68 MWe.

In addition to these power plants, an important increase has been made in the installed
capacity and 150 MWe of new projects is presently under development in Kizildere Dora,
Pamukoren and Gumuskoy reaching in 2020 the target of around 650 MWe. The current
values are 167 MWe and 490 GWhe.30
Turkey’s electrical energy production (GWh) between the years 2002 and 2012 is shown in
Table 7.29
According to Turkey’s renewable energy targets, the country has set a goal of reducing
greenhouse gas emissions by a minimum of 7% over the next five years.
According to the values in March 2012, geothermal data licensing information about the
electricity production from renewable resources is given in Table 8.32
Canka Kilic 11

Figure 5. The geothermal power plant in Kizildere, Turkey.31

Table 7. Electricity generation (GWh) of Turkey.29

Years Thermal Hydraulic Geothermal + Wind Total Increase (%)

2002 95,563.1 33,683.8 152.6 129,399.5 5.4

2003 105,101.0 35,329.5 150.0 140,580.5 8.6
2004 104,463.7 46,083.7 150.9 150,698.3 7.2
2005 122,242.3 39,560.5 153.4 161,956.2 7.5
2006 131,835.1 44,244.2 220.5 176,299.8 8.9
2007 155,196.2 35,850.8 511.1 191,558.1 8.7
2008 164,139.3 33,269.8 1008.9 198,418.0 3.6
2009 156,923.4 35,958.4 1931.1 194,812.9 1.8
2010 155,827.6 51,795.5 3584.6 211,207.7 8.4
2011 171,638.3 52,338.6 5418.2 229,395.1 8.6
At the end of 54,528.6 23,664.3 1993.0 80,185.9 –
April 2012

As of September 2013, the number of geothermal exploration licenses, given by MTA has
reached 117. The distribution of installed capacity by primary energy sources can be exam-
ined in Table 9.7
According to the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources Budget Presentation for the
year 2015, the installed capacity of geothermal energy in the distribution of primary energy
resources is 0.5% in Turkey (Table 9).
12 Energy & Environment 0(0)

Table 8. License procedures based on renewable energy sources (March 2012).32

Application Examination-evaluation Endorsed Total

Installed Installed Installed Installed

Fuel/source type Unit capacity (MW) Unit capacity (MW) Unit capacity (MW) Unit capacity (MW)

Wind 4 64. 60 9 408.60 59 2592.90 72 3066.10

Geothermal 6 110.00 8 225.95 1 24.00 15 359.95
Biogas 5 12.56 2 2.50 4 29.41 11 44.47
Biomass 7 79.73 3 40.00 4 19.45 14 139.18
TOTAL 22 266.89 22 677.05 68 2665.76 112 3609.70

Table 9. The distribution of installed capacity by primary

energy sources (September 2014).7

The distribution of installed

capacity by primary
energy sources
Energy sources (September 2014)

Hydraulic 34.4%
Wind 5.1%
Geothermal 0.5%
Coal 20.8%
Natural gas 31%
Other 8.2%

The geothermal sites, which discovered by the MTA, can be evaluated by the investors
(by auctions) based on the Law No. 5686 (Regulation on the Utilization of Geothermal
Energy Sources for the purpose of Electricity Generation). As results of these auctions,
a total of 96 sites were auctioned and transferred to the investors in between 2008 and
2014; 16 of them have been found suitable for the energy production and the rest of them
for the heating and thermal tourism applications. In the scope of these privatizations (with
the transfer of Denizli-Kizildere geothermal sites), the total value of these auctions has
reached the amount of $545 million.7
In 2013, some important geothermal energy explorations, survey and drilling operations
have been completed by the MTA in Afyon, Aksaray, Ankara, Canakkale-Balıkesir, Aydin,
Denizli, Eskisehir, Konya, Cankırı, Kirikkale, Sivas, Yozgat, Kirsehir, Hatay, Gaziantep
and Diyarbakir provinces in Turkey. Total probing has reached the value of 20,100 m.
In Gore-Nevsehir, the drilling process has been completed at a depth of 2905 m.
According to this process, a significant amount of geothermal fluid has been found at the
temperature of 183 C (at the bottom of the wells). The flow rate of geothermal fluid has been
found as 3 l/s.6,7
The studies and drilling activities have been still continuing by MTA in Izmir, Istanbul,
Ankara, Istanbul, Manisa, Corum, Kırklareli, Nevsehir and Nigde in the context of the
search for geothermal energy sources. The drilling depth has reached to 10,000 m. Another
Canka Kilic 13

drilling work has been completed in the district of Konya Tuzlukcu, Guzpinar in 2014, a
depth of 2200 m and at the temperature of 63 C. The flow rate of the fluid has been deter-
mined as 45 l/s in the wells.7

Conclusions
As of August 2013, the installed capacity of geothermal energy in the world has been
determined as 11,766 MW. Geothermal direct use has been around 50,000 MW. The
amount of annual electricity production has been about 68.6 billion kWh. The top five
countries producing electricity from geothermal energy are USA, Philippines, Indonesia,
Mexico and Italy. The top five countries using geothermal energy for heating and hot springs
applications are China, USA, Sweden, Turkey and Japan.33
Turkey ranks seventh in the world and first in Europe in terms of geothermal energy and
the country has a significant potential for renewable energy resources. Turkey also aims at
further increasing its use of hydro, wind and solar energy resources. Turkey plans to produce
30% of its electricity need from the renewable energy sources by the year 2023.
In this study, an overview of geothermal energy has been presented and geothermal
energy potentials, productions and its importance for Turkey have been examined with
regard to the latest numbers. This study shows there is an important potential for geothermal
energy production in Turkey, but only a very small fraction may be profitably exploited.
Thus, it is aimed to make contribution to the future developments of geothermal energy in
Turkey. In the light of this study, the following results are accomplished:
1. Turkey is an energy-importing country, so the country needs to use its sustainable
sources to reduce this costly dependence. In this respect, geothermal power is a wise
choice, as it is economical, domestic and an environmentally friendly energy source.
Moreover, Turkey has many advantages for the use of geothermal energy consider-
ing its geographical location. Although there have been important advancements
in the last 10 years in geothermal exploitations, there are still some barriers such as
economic issues, lack of the legislative and regulatory framework and insufficient
infrastructure.
2. In terms of geological configuration, Turkey is located on the Alpine-Himalayan belt,
and the country has a very high geothermal energy potential. This potential is about
31,500 MW. In the country, geothermal energy is one of the most remarkable forms of
renewable energies. Hence, increasing the capacity of geothermal electricity generation
is of great importance for Turkey’s energy needs.
3. According to the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources Budget Presentation for
the year 2015 numbers, geothermal energy percentage in Turkey has been expressed as
0.5% in the production of electrical energy distribution of primary energy sources. The
search for geothermal energy and the development studies have been increased for
the last decade in Turkey. Hereby, sustainable energy developments of the country
are being supported.
4. The installed capacity of new commissioning power plants based on renewable
energy sources in the first nine months of the year 2014 has been around 2002 MW.
The geothermal power plants sharing this total value can be defined as 47.6 MW of geo-
thermal sourced electricity generation power plants. Currently, there are 13 geother-
mal power plants are available based on geothermal energy sources in Turkey.
14 Energy & Environment 0(0)

While geothermal installed capacity was only 17.5 MW in 2002, it has reached the value
of 397 MW as of today’s numbers. On the other hand, in 2012, the applications of
geothermal greenhouse heating have reached the value of 2832 thousand square meters
with an increase of 466% compared to the number of the year 2002. Also, the residen-
tial heating has reached number around 89,443 dwellings with an increase of 198%.
5. The private sector began to take part in geothermal studies in Turkey based on the
Geothermal Energy Law (Number 5686). Geothermal Resources and Natural Mineral
Water Act came into force in 2007. Between the years 2008 and 2014, 96 geothermal
sites in total have been transferred to investors, 16 sites are for electricity generation and
80 of them for the heating and thermal tourism applications. In this way, the total value
of these auctions has reached the amount of $545 million.7
6. In Turkey, one of the most common usages of geothermal energy resources is district
heating. The initial investment and operating costs of these heating systems are cheap
and they are environmentally harmless. They increase the standard of living; addition-
ally, there is no dependence on foreign sources. Although Turkey has affluent geother-
mal resources, the amount of this type of application and use are not sufficient yet,
considering the country’s energy needs and production levels.5 Therefore, it is essential
to increase research and development studies in geothermal energy and follow very
closely all developments in all related sectors.
7. Turkey’s geothermal resources can provide very high thermal tourism capacities. This
offers great opportunities for thermal tourism in Turkey. To meet the market and
investment criteria, domestic and foreign private sectors should also be encouraged
to invest in this energy field.34
8. Geothermal power generation does not associate any combustion, which means CO2
emissions into the atmosphere are very low. Consequently, geothermal power gener-
ation can help prevent global warming. The supply of energy from the Earth is poten-
tially enormous and endless, deficiency is not a concern. Furthermore, unlike other
forms of renewable energy such as solar, photovoltaic or wind power, geothermal
power is independent of weather conditions.35
9. As a result of all the geothermal studies up to this time, it has been seen that the
determination of potential of geothermal is not sufficient by itself. It is also necessary
to support and carry out the utilization and development of these energy studies not
only scientifically but also technically. At the same time, uncontrolled drilling should be
prevented in geothermal sites and the balance between supplies the discharges will be
preserved of geothermal resources.
10. Geothermal energy will notably contribute to Turkey’s future energy supply. In spite of
the complex legal issues related to the development of Turkey’s geothermal resources,
their use is expected to increase in the future, particularly for electricity generation and
greenhouse heating.36

Disclaimer
Although some data are taken from governmental document, this paper is not necessarily
representative of the views of the government.
Canka Kilic 15

Declaration of conflicting interests

The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, author-
ship, and/or publication of this article.

Funding
The author(s) received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this
article.

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Fatma Canka Kilic is Associate Professor Dr. at the Kocaeli University, Kocaeli Vocational
School in Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Program. She graduated Yildiz University,
Department of Mechanical Engineering as a Mechanical Engineer in 1991. She worked as a
mechanical engineer in the industrial area from 1991-1993. She received her Master’s Degree
from Kocaeli University, Institute of Science and Technology, at the Department of
Mechanical Engineering, Heat and Energy Department, in 1996. The same year she started
her PhD education at Sakarya University, Institute of Science and Technology.
Canka Kilic 17

After completing her coursework, she went to the United States to prepare her PhD thesis at
Clemson University, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Graduate School of Applied
Sciences, Energy Sciences, in English. She completed her PhD thesis in August 2000 and
received her certificate. She began her academic career as a lecturer at Kocaeli University’s
Vocational School in Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Program, in October, 1994. She
became Assistant Prof. Dr. and the Coordinator of that program in 2001 and served in this
position until 2010. She was then appointed as the Chair of the Department of Electrical and
Energy, a title that she still holds. She became Associate Professor Dr. in June, 2012 and then
She is also appointed as the International Student Coordinator at Kocaeli University. She
has more than 30 academic papers published on different prestigious journals. She speaks
English fluently and French at the secondary level.